My Brother, My Sister
by nanirain
Summary: Aladdin has a twin sister: Akyra. Together as a team with Abu they're the best theives in all of Agrahbah, and they're also inseperable... that is until Aladdin and Jasmine fall in love...
1. The Most Notorious and Respected Thieves

Sadeera stealthily reached out and snatched the apple from the stand, quickly puling her hand inside her tattered sleeve to hide it as she passed by the large merchant with a thick black beard and small beady eyes. When she was safely around the corner she pulled out the red fruit and took a bite, eating as quickly as she could. She had to eat as much of the apple as possible before someone saw her and cried "THIEF!" In that case she would have to abandon the apple and run for it. Fortunately though, no one saw her, and after she was done with the meat, she licked the juice from her fingers before eating the core, spiting out only the seeds. She didn't know the next time she would eat, and so she ate all of what she took.

She sighed heavily as the placed her hand on her stomach, it still ached with hunger and she smiled sadly. She knew that she was a good thief, but the only things that she had ever managed to steal were small: apples, dates, sunflower seeds, oranges, pistachios, plums. There was no way she could have ever made off with a pound of meat in her arms or any other sort of _real _food. There were only two people in all of Agrahba who could manage that, and _they_ worked as a team. Not including the monkey of course. She sighed, she had only met them once or twice, and she had a great respect for them as thieves. But she never knew where _they_ were or how to find them, no one did. Next to thieves like them she was second rate.

She ran her sticky hand through her fiercely gnarled hair and sighed, slouching against the wall. She would have to find something else to eat. She started to walk silently and inconspicuously down the streets again, looking for an unwary merchant. But they were hard to find on these streets. That was because _they _were always here, taking from these ally ways, the two of them. Of course no one knew that they had stolen something until it was already gone… usually. Sometimes they slipped and were spotted, but it wasn't often. If they were, there was a huge ruckus in the streets. The whole city was after them, especially the royal guard. But it was never any use; they had never been caught. Each of them still had two hands.

Sadeera rubbed her wrist thoughtfully, feeling the scar that had been left the day that she had first meet one of them. She had met _her_. That day, Sadeera had been trying to steal a gold necklace in the town square. She had known that the man who sold jewelry had sharp eyes but she hadn't realized how sharp. He had seen her, and before Sadeera had even time to scream the man had seized her wrist, pulled back her sleeve and held up a knife. The penalty for stealing in Arabia was cutting off the hand, that way the person would no longer have hands for stealing. Just as a liar had his tongue removed from his mouth so he could no longer lie. The merchants of Agrabah were ruthless and unforgiving.

Just as the knife had began to dig into her skin there had been a girl sitting there, on the counter, staying the man's hand. "No!" She had cried. Startled, the man withdrew the knife from Sadeera's heavily bleeding wrist. He had left a deep cut, but at least the hand was still attached.

Both Sadeera and the man had been startled. "What?" The man started at first as if he were afraid, but his tone quickly deepened and became commanding. "Why do you stay my hand!" he demanded. "She is a thief!"

The girl had turned and looked at Sadeera. But Sadeera had never seen her before. Her black hair was thick and drawn up into a high ponytail, wisps of bangs fell around her face. She wore a rich blue jewel in one ear, clear and bright as water. She wore baggy pants and a shirt that didn't quite fit her, Sadeera could tell, because the neckline was far too low and it had been torn badly so that too much of her flat stomach was revealed, the left shoulder strap fell off of her shoulder. The girl also wore no veil, like Sadeera, so she could see that the she was very pretty. Sadeera wondered if the girl was a prostitute. That's what most beautiful women were. It's what they were forced to become.

"What did I tell you about stealing things?" She said to Sadeera in an obviously irritated voice.

"Wh-what?" Sadeera stuttered. Did she know her?

"Is she a friend of yours?" The man asked, resting the knife on the counter, but Sadeera noticed that he kept his hand on the handle, ready to strike. But it seemed the girl did not. Not realizing the danger, she let go of the man's wrist. And got off the counter. She stood by Sadeera and put her arm around the confused girl's shoulders. "Yes," She said. "This is Mariah." She introduced them as if she were serious. "And she is my cousin."

Sadeera looked up at the girl, who winked a sparkling hazel eye at her, and then turned back to the suspicious merchant. The girl was nearly a head taller than Sadeera and along the side of her neck, Sadeera saw a long jagged scar. The girl obviously had had a close call with someone to get a scar like that.

"Your cousin?" The man asked.

"Yes." The girl sighed.

"And who _are_ you exactly?" The man asked, looking, as Sadeera had, at the girl's oversized, torn shirt.

"My name is Stalieah." The girl said. "And I work at the Madam's house on the other side of town."

So she was a prostitute. The man looked at her, and decided that it was plausible because he nodded slightly. After all, the girl was dressed in a rather improper shirt and she was very pretty, for someone who was not of royal blood.

"Well cousin or no cousin," The man said, "She was stealing from my booth."

The girl sighed and held Sadeera closer. "My dear cousin is starving." She said. "And was no doubt looking for something to sell. She doesn't usually have to resort to stealing, but ever since her mother died…"

Now Sadeera was completely confused. Her hand stung fiercely where the man had began to cut off her hand, but she kept quiet and played along with this girl's story. For some reason this girl had chosen to help her. And for that she had been grateful.

"I am truly sorry," The girl had said, "Here," She unfastened the beautiful jewel from her ear and held it out to the man. "In a token of apology."

At this the old man's suspicions were gone. His hand left the knife, and Sadeera quietly sighed in relief. He took the jewel from the girl's hand and inspected it with his glass. He then put it down and looked at her suspiciously. "What is a girl who works at the Madam's doing with a fine piece of jewelry like this?" He asked.

Sadeera had wondered the same thing, but she was beginning to feel woozy from blood loss, there was a small puddle of it next to her in the road now.

The girl's face had taken on a weird look, and her cheeks reddened. She looked away. "It's… payment that I received from a young man… for… serving him in ways I would rather not describe." She looked ashamed as she glanced at the ground. Sadeera didn't even want to imagine what way she had "served" the man described.

The old merchant nodded and put the blue jewel on the counter beside the golden necklace that Sadeera had failed to steal. Her wrist was aching, and if she hadn't looked down and seen it, she would have thought that her hand was no longer there. But it was, though it was bleeding heavily, the copper tone of her skin was becoming paler by the minute.

She shifted uncomfortably and the girl tightened her grip on her shoulder. "Thank you for your forgiveness." The girl said.

The man nodded. "Keep a firmer hold on your cousin, miss, before she comes back to you with only one hand."

The girl nodded and smiled and steered Sadeera away from the merchant's booth. They walked briskly down the street together, and when they were far enough away, Sadeera whispered through her teeth. "Who are you?"

The girl shook her head. "First lets get you to a place where we can bandage your wound." She said.

Sadeera didn't complain. Soon they had come to a back ally. The girl took her hand. "Can you climb?" She asked Sadeera.

Sadeera had nodded dumbly, and together they had climbed up the wall, using the empty sockets where bricks had fallen or been torn from the wall until they were up on the roof of the Madams. Once they were up, Sadeera sat on the roof, exhausted.

The girl sat down beside her and smiled. "Give me your hand." She said. Sadeera had looked at her, unsure before reluctantly holding her hand out. No one ever stuck their neck out for somebody else unless they wanted something. Not among the poor anyway.

"Are you really a prostitute?" Sadeera asked. As the girl tore a piece of cloth from the belly of her shirt. So that's why it was so short. He girl looked at her with amused hazel eyes.

"Do _you_ think I'm a prostitute?" She asked.

Sadeera looked at her carefully. "I've never met a prostitute who was stupid enough to risk her life for a thief."

The girl smiled. "I've never met a thief who was stupid enough to try and steal a gold necklace right out from underneath old man Arackbah's nose."

Sadeera blushed. "I thought he wasn't looking."

"That old man has eyes in the back of his head." The girl laughed as she bandaged Sadeera's wrist, pulling the cloth tightly over the bleeding wound.

"I'm sorry you lost that jewel." Sadeera said quietly. "It must have been worth a lot."

The girl looked at her. "What are you talking about?"

Sadeera stared at her in shock. That jewel had to have been worth a fortune by a prostitute's standards. "The blue one. The one you gave the old man for my freedom."

The girl pushed some of the loose strands of hair from her high ponytail away and turned her head, revealing the blue jewel, sitting in her ear again, as if she had never removed it. "You mean this jewel?"

"H-Hey!" Sadeera stared in shock. "H-how did you?"

"Forget about it." The girl said. "I've known the old man too long to ever have to _really_ give something to him. I only pretended back there."

"Then… then…" Sadeera struggled. She had seen the girl give the old man the jewel; she had _seen_ him put it on the counter. When had the girl taken it back? Why hadn't either the old man, who never had anything stolen from him, or Sadeera, who was a thief herself, notice her take it back? "Then you're a thief as well…" Sadeera said.

The girl finished the knot on Sadeera's bandage. "I guess… though most people call us 'street mouse'." The girl leaned back on the palms of her hands and looked at Sadeera. "Why were you going after the necklace anyway?" She asked. "You can't eat that."

"I figured I could sell it to someone." Sadeera said. "You know… make some money and actually pay for something for once."

The girl scoffed. "Don't." She said. "It's useless try to pay for things… people just don't…" her thoughts drifted away and she seemed lost for a second until she focused back on Sadeera. "Anyway, I wouldn't try to steal from him again." She said to Sadeera. "He won't fall for the cousin story twice."

"I won't." Sadeera said sarcastically. "Thanks for the advice."

"Give that a week or two." The girl said, looking at Sadeera's bloodied wrist. "You'll have to work left handed for a while."

"That'll slow me down." Sadeera complained.

"Not as much as it will if you work with your right." The girl replied.

Sadeera sighed. "This sucks."

The girl smirked a little at that. "Yeah… it does…"

Suddenly there was a yell from a few blocks over. The girl sighed tiredly and stood up, brushing off her pants.

"Someone you know?" Sadeera asked.

"My idiot…" The girl said. "I have to go save him again."

"Boyfriend?" Sadeera asked, curious.

She girl turned back and smiled. "Worse… brother…"

Sadeera didn't have a brother. But then again… she never had a boyfriend either.

The girl leapt from the roof and landed expertly on the next, wavering for balance for a moment and then starting away.

"Hey!" Sadeera called. "What's your _real _name?"

The girl stopped and turned around, staring at her as if she were a stranger. Sadeera felt her stomach twist into knots. But then the girl nodded a little at her and called out just loud enough for Sadeera to hear her.

"It's Akyra."

Sadeera sat, stunned. Had she just said Akyra? She stared after the girl as she disappeared, leaping down into the streets. It couldn't have been. Akyra? As in Akyra and Aladdin? The two notorious thieves?

It couldn't have been. Sadeera had thought. It couldn't have been. But even as the thought that, she knew that had been her. That was the only person who it made sense for her to have been. To have taken back that blue jewel like that, right from underneath old man Arackbah. He had never even noticed. It must have been her. Akyra.

Even now, a year later Sadeera could hardly believe it. Her wrist had healed thanks to Akyra. But there was still a kind of raw, purplish scar. She supposed there would always be a scar where old man Arackbah had almost cut away her hand. She had ran into Akyra and her brother Aladdin only one time after that and that had been about three months since her first encounter with Akyra.

She had been walking down the streets again, this time in on the other end of the market place and not looking for trouble for once. When suddenly she had been knocked over by what had felt like a freight train. An elbow smashed into her nose and she stumbled backwards, blood spurting from her nose.

"Hey!" Someone had snapped angrily at her.

Sadeera looked up, ready for a fight when she met a pair of familiar hazel eyes.

"Oh," Akyra blinked. "Hey, you." She said, looking at Sadeera. "Sorry about that." She said, noticing her nose and cringing a bit, she reached down and ripped a piece of her shirt, which was even dangerously shorter than it had been three months ago and offered it to Sadeera. "Pinch your nose and tilt your head back." Akyra had said.

Sadeera had reached out dumbly to take the cloth when suddenly a boy dropped down from the canopy above her and landed beside her. In his arms were two loafs of warm bread and a melon. Perched on his shoulder was a small brown monkey who babbled away curiously at Sadeera and then looked at Akyra. The boy also turned to Akyra. "Friend of yours?" He asked, eyebrow raised quizzically.

"I told you about her." Akyra said, seeming bored as she brushed back a loose strand of her raven hair that had escaped from her high ponytail, revealing the rich blue gem that still sat in her ear.

Sadeera also noticed that Akyra had a new bracelet cuffed around her upper arm just below the shoulder, it was made of bright silver and curved around her arm perfectly. But mostly, Sadeera noticed the large, dark rubies that had been carefully placed within the silver. Sadeera smiled, she bet that the bracelet had come from old man Arackbah's cart.

Aladdin looked Sadeera over, making her blush, because she had also noticed that Aladdin was as handsome as his sister was beautiful, if not more so. He had strong shoulders and a handsome face. Dark hair fell gracefully into deep brown eyes and he had a cute sideways smile that made her heart flutter. She was horrified when she realized what she must have looked like; she hadn't been able to bathe in days, and her face was dusty, and then there was the fact that it was also covered in blood.

"Is this the one that you saved from old man Arackbah's knife?" he asked.

Akyra rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I told you, I was just passing by when I saw. It's not like I went out of my way or anything. Now just give me the bread." She said, apparently impatient about something.

Aladdin only gave his twin sister that sideways smile and then turned to Sadeera. "You're lucky you caught her in such a freakishly good mood." Aladdin said to Sadeera. "Usually she wouldn't even waste second thought on anyone else." Aladdin smiled. And held out a big, long fingered, calloused hand. "I'm Aladdin." He said. "And this is Abu." He pointed to the monkey whose tail curled around Aladdin's neck. Its small black eyes stared at her intently.

Sadeera tried to smile back at Aladdin, but she was still holding the bloody rag over her face, so instead she nodded and held out her other hand awkwardly. "Sadeera." She said, grateful that he couldn't see the blush on her face because of the cloth. She had never seen someone as handsome as him. He smiled gently at her as he took her hand, and she was sure he was about to say something more, when she heard a deep voice boom across the square. "AFTER THEM!"

"Well! Gotta go!" Aladdin said suddenly, and released her hand, jumping onto a nearby crate of fish, and then onto the canopy that he had been on before, then onto the roof.

"Sorry about your nose, Sadee." Akyra said quickly before leaping after Aladdin, who was waiting for her at the rooftop. He took her hand and helped her up as she jumped up to him.

Sadeera watched as the two disappeared. And instants later, the royal guard had barged into the ally, swords brandished and looking ready to kill something.

"You there!" A big man with a rough voice pointed at her. Sadeera took a few steps away, he also had the biggest sword… he must have been the captain of the royal guard… Raoul. "Did you see a pair of thieves come this way!" He demanded. "They had with them two loaves of bread, five bags of gold and a silver and ruby bracelet."

Sadeera's jaw nearly dropped. Five bags of gold?

"And a monkey!" A rather fat man cried out from behind Raoul… "They also had with them a monkey!" Sadeera noticed that the man's face had been badly clawed up, and she guessed that it had been the handiwork of Abu. She shook her head. No. And pretended to be a mute so that they couldn't ask her any more questions; she didn't want to accidentally slip up.

The guard stared at her for a bit, as if to see if she might be lying. Sadeera felt her gut twist, her skin grew cold. If he knew she was lying, she would be arrested and her tongue would be cut from her mouth. She glanced at the fish crate that Aladdin and Akyra had used to get up to the canopy and then to the roof. If she needed too she would follow after them, she would be ready. She had almost lost her hand, she didn't plan on losing her tongue.

Finally, Raoul turned away from her and frustrated, sheathed his sword. "Fine! Fine!" He cried. "We'll get them next time men!"

A cry arose from the group of men. They were eager to catch the unmatchable thieves; Aladdin and his sister were an embarrassment to the royal guard. Everyone knew that. Only a seventeen-year-old boy and girl, and the guard couldn't even catch them. Well it made sense, Sadeera had thought, with them always running around on roofs and canopies; the two were almost as good at acrobatics as they were at stealing.

Sadeera had watched as the royal guard marched out of the ally. And then looked back up to the roof. She hoped she would see them again soon, or maybe even just Aladdin. She took the cloth from her nose, which had stopped bleeding, and went to find some water.

It had been nine months since Sadeera had first met Aladdin, and a full year since the day when Akyra had saved her from old man Arakabah. She had become a much better thief. And so had Aladdin and his sister. She had heard stories; those two alone were a significant rise in crime. The royal guard still hadn't caught them, and everyday, some merchant would report something had been stolen or missing without explanation. Sadeera would always smile to herself when she heard that, because she knew that it was Aladdin and Akyra. She sighed as she carefully picked some dates from the date merchant's pile when no one was watching. She wished she would see them again.


	2. Good People

Suddenly she made out the sounds of cheering on the other side of town. Curious, she headed towards the sound, weaving through back allies and abandoned storehouses until she finally saw a giant crowd standing by the palace gates. She looked around, trying to find the cause of excitement.

Then she found it. There was a man, riding through the crowd, on a beautiful white stallion. The crowd gasped and pointed at the richly adorned sword he wore at his side, and the fine silk he wore. A great purple plume rose proudly from his red hat. He must have been royalty. Sadeera sighed, another royal come to seek Princess Jasmine's hand in marriage.

Sadeera had never met the princess, but she imagined that she fit the typical royalty stereotype: stuck up, selfish and ignorant. Thousands of rich princes had come to her, seeking her hand in marriage, and she had turned down all of them. Sadeera felt a twinge of annoyance at the princess's stupidity. But what could you expect? She was royalty. It was practically her job to be spoiled and snobbish.

Suddenly, the crowd let out a frightened gasp that swept down the streets and wrenched Sadeera's attention to the road. When she saw what had caused the crowd to react, her hands flew to her mouth, her dark brown eyes widened in fear. Two little children had run out into the road. One was a little boy, and the other was his older sister. They were obviously beggars. Their clothes were tattered and torn and hung over their bodies like limp, dusty curtains.

"Pony! Pony!" The boy's voice echoed through the streets, somehow louder than the rest of the towns gasps and shouts. Oblivious to the danger he was putting himself in, he reaching for the Stallion, running beneath its dangerous hooves. If he got kicked, he would be dead before anyone could blink and eye.

His older sister, maybe seven or eight, flew after him, grabbing him to her and trying to hold him back. But it was too late. They were already in the prince's way. They had startled his horse and ruined his welcome parade. And it was not in princes' reputations to be forgiving.

The man on the horse sneered down at the children, disgust flashing up in his black eyes. "Insolent brats!" He spat with his nasally voice. His hand flew to his saddle bag and before anyone knew what was going on, the long, cruel whip was in his hand, raised threateningly above his head. Sadeera involuntarily. They were only children… "Out of the way!"

Sadeera covered her eyes, unable to watch. Someone screamed, and the little girl tried to shield her brother with her body.

"Hey!" The new voice ripped through the crowds, silencing the crowd. It was deep and throaty and frightening, like a loin roaring. It was followed by the sound of the prince's whip lashing against flesh.

Sadeera parted her fingers and looked through them, and stared in silent shock at what she saw. After nine months he had finally appeared again. Aladdin had returned. The whip was viciously curled around his upheld forearm, as the young man stood protectively between the children and the horse. He was just as she remembered him, his young strong body was dust covered, and glistened in the afternoon sun. The cloud of yellow dust around him settled back into the road and revealed his angular, tanned face, and his hardened, square jaw. His long raven hair fell into his dangerous dark eyes… he was furious.

Akyra burst out of the crowd, shoving past men who were twice her size, and elbowing her way through women, regardless of the respect she was supposed to show to them. Soon she had emerged into the street and scooped up the young boy in her arms, taking the little girl by the hand. Then, with a glance at Aladdin, she walked them calmly out of the streets and hid them in the crowd, who parted for her as she glared daggers at them. Some out of them moved out of pity for the children, others out of shock, and a few out of hatred and disgust for Akyra herself. She held each of their glare's defiantly, daring them to do something. None of them did. They were filled with a strange, deafening silence as she passed them. Soon, they had swallowed her and the children up, and Sadeera couldn't see them anymore.

Suddenly, attention was turned back to Aladdin, as he yanked his arm back, tearing the handle of the whip from the shocked prince's arm. "If I were you, I think I could afford to learn some manners!" he snapped angrily, breaking the stiff part of the whip in half and throwing it to the ground in disgust.

The prince sat rigidly on his horse, shocked and outraged for a few moments before he scoffed and pushed his horse forwards, his arrogance resumed. "But you see you are not me, you merely in someone who is in the _way_." The prince punctuated his word with a swift kick into Aladdin's chest. Sadeera cringed.

Caught by surprise, Aladdin fell backwards into a mud puddle in the street. Thick, putrid, brown liquid splashed over his body and soaked into his hair. The crowd erupted into laughter and Sadeera tried in vain to push her way forwards to get to him.

Instead, it was Akyra who appeared at Aladdin's side. Sadeera watched as Akyra stood loyally beside her brother, who wiped the mud from his face and stood up beside her. Sadeera didn't need to see his face to know that he was furious. Brother and sister stood proudly together as the crowd's laughter died down. For the first time Sadeera noticed Abu sitting on Akyra's shoulder, chattering angrily away at the retreating prince.

"Hey look at that, Akyra," Aladdin said loudly, so that the whole crowd could hear. "It's not everyday you see a horse with _two_ assholes." The crowd fell into a deadly silence, as the prince stopped abruptly, just beyond the open gates of the castle. Time seemed to stop. Everything and everyone hung suspended in the silence, waiting for the impending explosion.

"Two assholes and no brain." Akyra replied just a loudly, her smooth, even voice seemed calm, but Sadeera knew that she was just as angry as her brother.

At this the prince turned around and cast a vicious glance at the two dusty figures standing on the street. He smiled at them wickedly as the gates began to close. "You two are nothing but street rats!" he accused. "You were born street rats! You will _die_ street rats! And only your fleaswill mourn you!"

The gates closed as Aladdin slammed again them. There was a moment of silence as the entire city watched the way the boy gripped the handles of the massive, wooden doors. Then, in a final burst of rage he slammed his fists against them, causing a loud boom that echoed down the silent streets. Angrily, Aladdin reached down and grabbed the first thing he found, which happened to be a rock the size of his fist, and hurled it over the wall, his muscles rippling with the effort. He stood for a while, panting, before he stormed back up to Akyra, who waiting for him.

The crowd was thinning as many were leaving to go home. The prince was gone and there was nothing else to see. "We're not worthless," Sadeera heard Aladdin say to his sister, his voice a low, menacing tone. "And we don't have fleas." He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it momentarily out of his eyes, only to have it fall back into the dangerously dark brown orbs.

"What a pathetic, little man." Akyra said, her stormy eyes still glaring at the door. "He has no idea…"

"Come on," Aladdin said, restless and still irritated. "Let's see how those two kids are doing."

They walked off together back towards town, and Sadeera tried desperately to follow, but before she could they had disappeared in a stream of moving people. She sighed and turned back towards the streets, at least she had gotten to see them again.

Aladdin sat on the cushion at his house. Akyra sat on the "window" frame, which was really a part of the wall that had been knocked out. It was a rather large hole, in fact there wasn't even much of a wall there at all. It was like a huge gaping wound in the room, that no one knew how to fix.

Akyra dipped a thin, tattered rag into the clay bowl, which held a small pool of water and rung it out, coming to sit by him. She rubbed the cloth along his face where there were still mud streaks.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about." Akyra said as she worked the mud from his skin. She was gentler over the purple bruise that was beginning to form on his chest where the prince had kicked him.

Aladdin stared at the wall angrily. "It just makes me so mad." Aladdin said. "That all these people see us as are…"

"Street rats?"

"Don't use that word." Aladdin said, darkly, turning his face away from her so that he was looking at the wall.

"You've never had a problem with it before." Akyra said as she rubbed at a spot on his chin.

"It sounds so degrading, it makes us seem like we're just common thieves."

Akyra sighed and dropped the rag. "Why does it matter what he thinks of us?" She asked him, her smooth, calm voice sounded suddenly tired.

"It doesn't." Aladdin said, stroking Abu who was curled up beside him on the stone floor.

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I'm not!" Aladdin snapped.

Akyra rolled her eyes. Typical.

Aladdin sighed, frustrated. "Ok! Fine! I'm a little upset."

"What's wrong?" Akyra asked with a sigh, brushing her hair behind her ears.

Aladdin was quiet for a long time before he finally answered. "We're not worthless." He said. "No one in the city even _knows_ us."

"What are you talking about _now_? _Everybody_ knows who we are." Akyra asked, shaking her head.

"They know who we are!" Aladdin said, frustrated, his voice bordering a shout. "They know our names and they know what we look like, but nobody even knows who we _are_. They just think of us as…" he sighed losing his steam as he leaned his head against the corner, "street rats." He finished quietly.

"I thought you didn't want to use that word."

Aladdin gave her a look that said, 'you'd better start taking this seriously or I'm leaving'. She sighed tiredly and sat down beside him, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Aladdin… what you're saying is true… nobody knows you… we're street rats. And so nobody takes the time to find out what a good person you are." She said.

"_We_ are." Aladdin reminded her.

Akyra smiled. "We _are_, that's the point. We're good people Aladdin… you're a _good_ person. You saved a pair of children today." She reminded him. "What does it matter if we're a little different? We're good people, whether anyone else knows it or not. And in the end, I think that's all that matters."

Aladdin sighed. "I just can't stand living like this." He said. "I wish we… had a chance…"

Akyra sighed and leaned her head on her brother's shoulder. "That's just the way life is…" She said softly, she sounded tired.

"One day," Aladdin said, turning to the knocked out side of the wall, through it, he could see the massive palace where the sultan lived the setting sun washed its pillars in a shimmering golden light. "One day we'll live in the palace, together. And we'll eat like kings, and do whatever we want to do…" Aladdin said. "I'll show you _everything_." He said as he watched as the setting sun turn the great white columns of the palace a golden color. "And we'll never have to worry about food or water or bathing… we'll have money. All the money we could dream of. " He continued. "And people will know who we are." he said. "We'll be more than just… street rats…" he turned and to look at his sister, but found that Akyra had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Her darkly tanned face was expressionless and quiet as she rested on him.

He sighed and smiled a little before turning back to their window. He watched as the setting sun was replaced by a haunting sliver of a silver moon, and the golden palace turned to a bright white cloud in the distance. His eyes flickered shut and before he knew it, he had slipped into a beautiful dream world… a place where he was free, and he was loved… a place that he wouldn't be able to remember in the morning.


End file.
